January 27, 2012

Media Contacts:

Julie Paulson, 801 835 8519

Brian Wilkinson, 801 673 5615

Robyn Geist, 801 680 1135 

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court by former UTOPIA contract employee Chris Hogan claims the organization defamed him and outlines a variety of allegations against the consortium of 16 Utah cities that joined together to build a fiber-optic network to serve residents, businesses and government agencies

UTOPIA steadfastly denies all of Hogan's allegations.

UTOPIA recognizes it's a cherished privilege in our country for anyone to sue anyone else over just about anything. This case against UTOPIA, however, is baseless and makes allegations that are simply false. Rather than UTOPIA defaming Chris Hogan, as is alleged in the suit, he is impugning the reputation of the organization and its hard-working staff.

Hogan has multiple cases pending in state and federal court related to his relationship with UTOPIA. In the only decision to substantively address his allegations, the court has held that he has no valid claim as to the majority of the allegations raised yet again in this latest lawsuit. The testimony in that hearing has been transcribed, is publicly available and speaks for itself. The justice system has vindicated UTOPIA to date, and UTOPIA expects to be vindicated in this case as well.